A Hearty Breakfast

Breakfast was fluffy white bread with an omelet and bacon, plus chicken stock soup garnished with green onions. The salad added a splash of color.

Simple, but this was exactly the kind of meal you wanted in the morning.

The three of them set the table, and everything was ready.

I waited for Elza to finish her prayer, then dug in.

First, I tore off a bite-sized piece of bread. Hot and incredibly soft.

Store-bought bread wouldn't come out like this even if you reheated it.

I spread butter on it and took a bite. Superb.

"Did you bake this here?"

"I did. Bread is my specialty."

Elza puffed out her chest.

We had the tools for it, and the oven too.

But baking bread from scratch was no small feat. Even I usually just bought it from a shop.

I hadn't expected fresh-baked bread to taste this good, though.

The combination with butter was sublime.

The first piece vanished in moments.

Elza added another to my plate.

"There's plenty more where that came from."

"You three eat more than I do, anyway."

"Hehe. Our bodies are our livelihood, after all. And making it yourself lets you make so much more for the same price."

"Can't argue with that."

Cooking at home was hard to beat for cost-effectiveness.

When it was just one person, you tended to make too much and struggled to store it. But with five people now, Finn included, leftovers were never a problem.

Especially since Azu and the others ate so much.

Next, I cut into the omelet with my fork.

The inside was beautifully runny. I scooped it up with the tomato sauce and took a bite.

Delicious. The bacon on the side was crisped to golden brown and wonderfully savory.

"Mm. This is good."

I ate with honest appreciation.

Azu and Alexia had been watching my reaction at first, but once they saw me tucking in, they relaxed and started eating too.

"Oh, this is good…"

"Quite. The heat is just right."

"What a feast for breakfast. Not that I'm complaining."

Everyone helped themselves to seconds, and the generous spread was polished off completely.

"Master, you're amazing. I can't believe you were doing all this for us every day."

"Cooking is just habit, knack, and experience. The more you do it, the better and faster you get."

"Understood. Please leave it to us whenever we're home."

"If you're offering, then I'll take you up on it when I can."

It really would lighten the load.

I'd thought that delegating the shop to my employees would free up time, but it hadn't quite worked out that way.

Having less housework on my plate would genuinely help.

When Azu and the others were away from home, I'd just prepare meals as usual and greet them when they got back.

Azu and Elza, apparently on dish duty, were humming as they washed up.

"Things are going to get busy again soon. Let's stop by Kazusa's place while we can. I'll bring some supplies."

"I'll come with you as soon as I'm done here."

"I'll just be relaxing until then."

I enjoyed my after-meal coffee.

Finn took one sip, grimaced, and loaded hers up with sugar and milk.

What a waste of good beans. The bitterness was the best part.

"I want to check if the safehouse is being watched, so I'll tag along. If there's no surveillance at this point, she should be able to go out for errands at least."

"They probably don't have the resources to spare, so that seems likely."

"Kazusa and her little brother, right? At this stage, there's no reason to kill them beyond spite."

Jacob had set things in motion through the government.

Even if Azu and Kazusa were killed now, nothing would stop.

There seemed no reason to take such a risk.

But if the enemy always did what you expected, things would be easy.

They could deliberately deviate from the optimal choice.

An impulsive opponent was perfectly capable of creating an unexpected crisis.

Azu had already finished the dishes and was changing into outdoor clothes.

Both she and Finn were bundled up in puffy winter gear. They looked like ordinary kids off the street.

No disguise needed; the cold-weather gear was camouflage enough.

I packed preserved food into a backpack.

"If we pick up vegetables and fruit along the way, nutrition won't be a problem."

"I want to make it so they can go outside soon. Kazusa and her brother Leo haven't done anything wrong."

"Sometimes you have to swallow things even when you're not at fault. Especially when you don't have money or power. That's exactly why working hard every day matters, so you don't end up in that position. Kazusa worked hard, and I think that's why a path opened up for her."

"Do you think so…?"

She was worried about her friend.

Just listening to her talk about Kazusa made it clear how close they were.

Fresh vegetables were hard to come by in this cold season.

I bought root vegetables and dried fruit, and we arrived at the inn where Kazusa and her brother were staying.

"No suspicious characters along the way. Looks like they don't have the manpower to send reinforcements."

"Good."

Reassured by Finn's report, I looked toward the inn.

The area around it had been thoroughly cleaned up.

Trash swept away, weeds pulled.

The front door was unlocked.

We went inside.

The floors and walls were far more spotless than the last time I'd visited.

"Oh, hello. Good morning."

Kazusa came down from the second floor wearing a headscarf and apron.

She looked healthier than when I'd last seen her.

Her anxiety must have eased, settling her nerves.

"Did you clean outside too?"

"… I'm sorry. I checked to make sure no one was around and only went out for a little bit in the morning. Being cooped up in here was getting to me, so just to clear my head…"

"Being locked in does get depressing. As long as nothing happened, it's fine. From now on, you should be able to go out for errands or a walk. But things aren't settled yet, so I need you to keep staying at this inn."

"Really? That's actually a relief for us… We've been staying here free of charge, after all."

With how clean she'd made the place, we were more than even.

Years working as a porter, moving from party to party, had taught her to be observant and considerate.

She was also looking for work beyond portering. Maybe putting her in charge of this inn wasn't a bad idea.

I shared what I could while handing over the food and daily necessities.

Kazusa was involved in this. She deserved to know at least the basics.

I was thinking of heading home when the inn's door burst open.

I tensed and checked. It turned out to be Alexia.

She was out of breath. She'd clearly come in a rush.

"What happened?!"

"A messenger came. 'Skip the details and move to production immediately,' they said!"

"Got it. Kazusa, we're leaving. I know I just said what I said, but stay alert for the next few days."

"Y-yes. Understood."

With Kazusa seeing us off, we left the inn and headed for Ramiza-san's shop.